WSRP Chair Election 2013

On Monday, July 29, 2013, Washington State Republican Party Chair Kirby Wilbur resigned from office. On August 24 in Spokane, during the state committee’s previously scheduled meeting, a new state chair will be elected.

Only the members of the WSRP state committee will vote, but all Republicans have some vested interest in the outcome. With that in mind, NW Daily Marker devotes this special section — a kind of voter’s guide, if you will — for statements from candidates, coverage and analysis leading up to the election, and insights from leading political thinkers from across the state about the upcoming choice and what it means for the GOP’s future in Washington state. NW Daily Marker will not endorse a candidate for WSRP Chair.

Declared candidates should submit their public statements (no more than 600 words, with a brief bio and headshot, if available) to info@nwdailymarker.com. Columns addressing issues should be between 600-800 words and can also be sent to info@nwdailymarker.com.

All submissions will be published as long as they meet common standards of decency with regard to language and refrain from attacks of a purely personal nature.

Check back here often and be sure to follow NW Daily Marker on Facebook and Twitter for updates as they become available.

Washington Republicans Elect Former News Anchor Susan Hutchison as New State Party Chair

August 24, 2013 at 3:38 pm: Republicans in Washington State decided to draw from outside its ranks Saturday to replace recently resigned Washington State Republican Party Chair Kirby Wilbur, electing former television news anchor and King County Executive candidate Susan Hutchison as its new chair.

August 23, 2013 at 10:15 am: The votes have been tallied and analyzed and former television news anchor Susan Hutchison has taken in NW Daily Marker’s informal online candidate preference straw poll of the race for Washington State Republican Party Chair.

And Then There Were Seven–State Sen. Pam Roach Among Candidates Running to Lead State GOP

August 19, 2013 at 4:44 pm: State Sen. Pam Roach (R-Auburn) becomes the seventh person declared and running in the hot and heavy race to determine who will lead the Washington State Republican Party through the remainder of recently-resigned chair Kirby Wilbur‘s term in office.

James Walsh Running for State Party Chair to ‘Reboot’ State GOP

August 16, 2013 at 10:30 pm: Washington State Republican Party Grays Harbor County State Committeeman Jim Walsh rounds out a six-candidate field in the upcoming election to elect a new state GOP chair to replace the recently resigned ex-chair Kirby Wilbur.

Christian Berrigan Among the Field in Six-Way Campaign to be Next WSRP Chair

August 16, 2013 at 10:00 pm: Christian Berrigan, operations director of the Clark County Republican Party, is one of four individuals trying to convince the Washington State Republican Party State Committee that he is the right person to lead the state GOP in the wake of former Chair Kirby Wilbur’s abrupt resignation last month.

Susan Hutchison Steps Into Race for WSRP Chair

August 9, 2013 at 1:10 pm: Former television news anchor and 2009 candidate for King County Executive Susan Hutchison has thrown her hat in the ring and is running to become the next chair of the Washington State Republican Party.

Rob McKenna Announces He Will Not Run for WSRP Chair, Offers Words of Wisdom About Choice Ahead

August 7, 2013 at 10:44 am: In a commentary published Wednesday by The Everett Herald, former state Attorney General Rob McKenna announced he will not seek the votes of his party’s central state committee when they meet later this month to elect a new chair. In the thoughtful piece – well worth your time to read in full – McKenna also gave considerably more than two cents-worth of insight about the direction of the GOP in Washington State.

Luanne Van Werven Announces She Will Run in WSRP Chair Race

August 2, 2013 at 3:34 pm: Washington State Republican Party Vice Chair and current interim-chair Luanne Van Werven of Whatcom County has tossed her hat in the ring to be the next leader of the Washington State GOP.

State GOP to Elect New Chair on Aug. 24

August 1, 2013 at 5:56 pm: The Washington State Republican Party will vote at its scheduled August meeting in Spokane to elect a new chair, according to a release sent out from party headquarters Thursday.

Field of Potential Candidates Begins to Emerge in Race for Next WSRP Chair

July 31, 2013 at 1:24 am: On Tuesday, even before 24 hours had elapsed since Washington State Republican Party Chair Kirby Wilbur’s announcement that he was stepping down immediately to begin a full-time position with the Young America’s Foundation in Washington, D.C., party activists and insiders were buzzing to discover the names of likely candidates who might run to replace him.

State Republican Party Chairman Kirby Wilbur Stepping Down

July 29, 2013 at 5:30 pm: Kirby Wilbur is stepping down as head of the Washington State Republican Party to accept a five-year position with the Young America’s Foundation in Washington, D.C., according to a statement released from state party headquarters in Bellevue, Wash.